


observation

by wbtrashking (fan_nerd)



Series: body music (reverse au) [15]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Role Reversal AU, reverse au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 06:37:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10183058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fan_nerd/pseuds/wbtrashking
Summary: "What did I do?""You're going to have to be a little bit more specific," Phichit calmly replies, moving around his kitchen to fetch Yuuri a cup of water after the older man takes a seat."I sent him a message." He waits for a moment before continuing, "I sent Victor a message. About coaching him.""Wow." Phichit blinks. "That's unexpected."





	

**Author's Note:**

> hello all! welcome back to the reverse AU! it's been quite some time since i've written a fic for the AU, so i'm kinda pumped to get back into the zone! ♥
> 
> enjoy! ♥

Yuuri comes back from Sochi a very different person than he'd left, and it honestly baffles Phichit. He's still quiet, mostly keeps to himself, and lounges next to his best friend on Thursdays, which are their chill hangout nights.

The taller man stares at the TV when Phichit plays one of his favorite movies, but he's very  _obviously_ distracted. His eyes are either sneaking to his phone or otherwise his eyelids are drooping. Phichit is an expert in reading people's tells, so he doesn't call Yuuri out immediately, although he wants to. Instead, he waits until he catches Yuuri in the act.

He finds his friend creeping into the kitchen for the third Thursday in a row, awkwardly fumbling with his phone and staring at photos full of silver hair and blue eyes. Phichit can't help staring at Yuuri - he's intensely focused, almost serene with how obviously the pictures have affected him, and he almost feels bad for giggling and disturbing Yuuri's trance.

Yuuri looks up from his phone with a slight flush, fiddling with his glasses to distract from how embarrassed he feels. Phichit's lips are curled up so far that his dimples are showing. "I mean, nobody's going to blame you for looking at pictures of Victor Nikiforov. He's a really gorgeous guy."

"It's -  _research_!" Yuuri sputters quickly, nearly dropping his phone when he turns around to talk to his friend. "I mean, keeping up with the competition, right? He  _was_ a Grand Prix Finalist in December."

"It's February now," Phichit hums, snorting when Yuuri's shoulders slump. The tan man puts a hand to his chin and pokes Yuuri's puffed cheeks. "So what's your excuse, huh?"

After a pause, Yuuri leans against the wall and gives in. "I mean, I honestly was just doing research. I'd heard his name around, of course, and I've read articles here and there, but it kind of stresses me out to think about other people's routines all the time."

"And what brought this on?" The younger man purses his lips and folds his arms over his chest. "You're not the type to pull this kind of thing out of the blue, Yuuri. I know you  _way_ better than that." Phichit's seen him at his lowest, crumbling and falling apart those first few weeks that he'd been in Detroit. He'd cheered him by letting Yuuri hold his hamsters, by letting the older skater rock himself back and forth in order to find a sense of equilibrium. "What's the catch?"

"It's just...something," Yuuri mumbles, unlocking his phone and staring at Twitter quizzically. "I don't exactly know yet."

Phichit knows when he needs to back off, so he just nods his head. "Well. If you ever need my help with figuring out social media stuff, I'll be here."

"You'd do that?" The surprise on Yuuri's face honestly makes Phichit laugh.

"Yeah dude. Of course." He leaves it at that with a wave, and flops back on the couch.

Yuuri does properly watch the rest of the movie that night.

//

The next thing Phichit knows, Yuuri is massively panicking about sending an email. There is a stream of incoherent babble flowing from his mouth before Phichit's hands fly up and he convinces his friend to take deep breaths. They stretch their arms, talk about the methodology of jumps, of their greatest inspirations for figure skating, and so on. Once it doesn't sound like Yuuri's just hoarsely saying anything that comes to mind, he shakily talks to Phichit. "What did I do?"

"You're going to have to be a little bit more specific," Phichit calmly replies, moving around his kitchen to fetch Yuuri a cup of water after the older man takes a seat.

"I sent him a message." He waits for a moment before continuing, "I sent Victor a message. About coaching him."

"Wow." Phichit blinks. "That's unexpected."

Yuuri slumps at his diagnoses. "I know. I'm slowly losing my mind, to be honest. I never thought that I would take things this far, and now I know I've  _really_ blown this."

"Well, I mean, the guy looks up to you. Getting a message from you would probably make his year, even if you didn't wind up going to teach him." Phichit squints at Yuuri as the older man wallows in misery, smacking his face down on the table. "What even made you ask about that?"

Brown eyes flick up to Phichit as the Thai man studies him. "I may or may not have been asked to do that by Victor himself. He might have also been drunk, so I'm going out on a limb here. What'll I do if he reject me? What am I supposed to do if he says  _yes_?"

Phichit smiles and puts a hand on Yuuri's shoulder. "Yuuri, that's amazing! What do you mean  _what are you going to do,_ you better start looking at plane tickets." When Yuuri groans, he continues to poke his friend on the back until he looks up. "There's no way he's going to reject you. Are you going to retire?"

The question makes Yuuri halt. "I guess...I hadn't really thought about it. I was considering it this year, so. No time like the present, right?"

Something about the way Yuuri words that doesn't sit well with Phichit. "Is that really what you want?"

"I don't know," Yuuri sadly replies, sighing. "I really don't. For now, I guess I'll see where this goes and figure things out from there." 

Phichit isn't sure why his friend is like this. Looking at Yuuri's wide eyes and forlorn expression, it seems like the world is crashing down in pieces instead of a potential gearshift, to bond with another skater and teach him a thing or two. He has a seat across from Yuuri, waits until the older man is calm, and then he starts speaking again. "If this  _is_ what you want, I think it's a really great opportunity. I mean, what do you have to lose?"

Yuuri doesn't say  _everything_ , but his expression says that for him. "Nothing, I guess."

"If you say it like you mean it, I'll let this go," Phichit teasingly replies.

"Nothing. Nothing, okay! I'm not losing a darn thing." Yuuri huffs through his nose and glares at the shorter man. "I mean, at worst, I guess I'll just have a vacation in Saint Petersburg."

"And at best you'll have a new skating friend," the Thai man counters and Yuuri rolls his eyes. "What? I can't be the only skater that you talk to for the rest of your life. You've gotta live a little."

The question then becomes - is Yuuri ready to do that?

Within twenty-four hours, he receives an email that forces him to a make decision anyways.

//

Phichit learns a lot about Yuuri through Snapchat and Instagram. Victor is excitingly attached to his phone and his social media, which is fantastic for Phichit, because he thrives off of every post the silver-haired skater makes.

Every week, it seems like the two of them get closer. The photos and videos of Yuuri start from a distance - awed noises are in the background, gasps and the like. Then, the focus gets clearer, the shots get more intimate, and by the time Yuuri's been overseas for three months, Victor has snuck in a couple of photos of the two of them holding hands.

Truthfully, Phichit is a little lonely in Detroit without Yuuri, but he has been thinking about heading back to Thailand. In his woes of choosing a permanent place of residence, he has bursts of pleasure living vicariously through skating's most notorious new couple.

Maybe even before it's clear to Victor, Phichit can see how deeply Yuuri has fallen. The trouble is that Yuuri won't let himself believe that he's in love until it's almost too late.

Phichit believes that Victor is smart enough to figure that out, if he truly loves Yuuri back.

//

When he sees Yuuri in person, in Barcelona, he gets the chance to see what Yuuri looks like in love. It's a lot like his usual fog of anxiety, mixed with an abundance of affection for Victor, and the added concerns of maintaining a proper student-coach relationship. Phichit helps Yuuri work through the particulars and face his  _true_ feelings, and at the end of the day, it gives Phichit hope.

He might have seen Yuuri hit a low, but at the same time, this is a plus.

Yuuri's starting to truly realize how much Victor means to him, and understand that he has to take measures to keep Victor by his side for the rest of his life. He's realizing that the risk is  _worth_ the reward, and that reward isn't another heavy gold medal that he has to hold up with pride.

It's Victor, who is simultaneously the most precious thing Yuuri has ever had, and love the most difficult burden he's had to bear.

Phichit smiles as he parts ways with his best friend in the bar.

He can't wait to see where life takes Yuuri from here on out, and what kind of whacky journeys he and his outspoken protégé will get into next. Generally, Phichit is just a happy and supportive guy. As competitive as he is, he truly skates for the love of the sport and his country, and he hopes for the well-being of his friends.

Knowing that Yuuri has been struggling to find hope in high places, is continuing to fight his battles every day, and standing taller with the weight of love makes him smile.

There's a lot of work to do if Phichit wants to beat Victor to gold, he knows.

He takes solace in the fact that Victor and Yuuri will still have each other regardless of the GPF results though, and that makes him giggle until he makes it back to his suite in the hotel and Celestino shakes his head at his student.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! ♥ reverse AU social media:
> 
> ✮[@yoireverse](http://yoireverse.tumblr.com/)
> 
> ✮[my tumblr](http://wbtrashking.tumblr.com/)  
> ✮[my twitter](https://twitter.com/wbtrashking)
> 
> ✮[em's art blog](https://narootos.tumblr.com/)  
> ✮[em's twitter](https://twitter.com/narootos)


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